The Ethics of Wi-Fi "Stealing"

Web site Ars Technical discusses the ethics of "stealing" a Wi-Fi connection, discussing whether or not piggybacking Wi-Fi is actually something that should be considered stealing based on several practical illustrations, arguing, for example, that:

If the WiFi waves come to you and can be accessed without hacking, there should be no question that such access is legal and morally OK. If your neighbor runs his sprinkler and accidentally waters your yard, do you owe him money?

The above example is just the tip of the author's argument, and you should really read the article for a fuller examination, but I'm curious about a couple of things:

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Fact is, as the article discusses, some people intentionally run an open wireless access point because that's just the kind of friendly folk they are (in fact, some people advertise their open Wi-Fi hotspots). So I'd also like to know:

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

As always, if I left out your answer, feel free to give us your viewpoint along with your take on the ethics of Wi-Fi "stealing" in the comments. Photo by frozenmeat.

Comments

Christopher Reig Guest

Jan 5, 2008, 6:37pm

Security is set on my connection, but due to certain... deficiencies in my brother's Nintendo DS (*cough* No WPA *cough*), I am using WEP. Although we have a, more or less, unlimited internet plan, I feel that it wouldn't be fair if my neighbour who, let's just say owned a laptop computer, would be able to just have a free ride and not have to pay for a damn thing. If people want to use the internet, pay for it. Simple as that.

Only logged in users may vote for comments!

Get Permalink

Trending Stories Right Now

While used PS4s and Xboxes may not make up a significant portion of e-waste, that doesn’t mean they aren’t contributing to the problem. If you have any used gaming consoles, don’t trash them — you can likely re-sell them at any electronics store or recycle them at the very least.

I drive a lot of different vehicles when I need to get around, but I'm always a little worried when it's time to fill them up. Will something happen if I use 91 instead of 95, or vice versa? This thread at StackExchange answers the question.